In a French Open 2026 full of shocks, Matteo Arnaldi, making his first Grand Slam SF, withdrew after battling a viral illness. After a night spent vomiting and sleepless, the 25-year-old Italian was simply not in shape to contest a spot in the final against close friend and fellow Italian Flavio Cobollil. And when the news broke, Andre Agassi appeared distraught, head in hands, delivering a harsh reality check after Arnaldi’s unexpected exit.

“I could have beat Arnaldi today, at 56 years old. If you don’t show up, you can’t win,” Andre Agassi said after Matteo Arnaldi’s shock withdrawal announcement. 

The 8-time Grand Slam winner continued by highlighting how unpredictable this year’s tournament has been. However, the 56-year-old stressed that this was not the kind of surprise anyone wanted to witness.

“It’s just disappointing. This tournament has been full of so many surprises, this is not the kind of surprise that anybody wants to see. He had two sets last match, physically he would have had a chance to be at his best. But obviously, he’s dealing with something that better be unimaginable,” he added at the TNT broadcasting desk.

Shortly afterward, Arnaldi faced reporters at the French Open and explained the difficult circumstances behind his decision. The world No. 104 Italian admitted that missing the biggest match of his career was extremely painful.

“It’s difficult to be here. It’s not what I wanted to do,” Arnaldi admitted at the press conference before revealing how the illness developed overnight.

“Last night I started to feel not very well. Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came to practice and did everything I had to do. I was feeling fine, and then I had dinner. I started to feel so-so with my stomach. I was like Alright, just didn’t digest very well.’ But then I woke up at 1 a.m. and started vomiting.”

According to the Italian, the symptoms quickly became severe. He was unable to sleep and spent much of the night vomiting, leaving him physically drained ahead of the SF.

Even after waking up, he still hoped the issue would pass. “I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy, and I don’t feel like the best. I’m pretty sure if I eat again, I’m not going to feel good. That was the right decision for me to take,” he added.

His withdrawal automatically sent the 10th seed Flavio Cobolli into Sunday’s French Open championship match against second seed Alexander Zverev. It even marked an extraordinary moment in Grand Slam history.

The withdrawal was only the 3rd before a men’s Grand Slam SF in the Open Era, which began in 1968. It was also the first time such a situation had occurred at the Parisian Slam.

The last time this happened was more than 4 years ago at Wimbledon, when Rafael Nadal withdrew due to an abdominal injury against the Aussie ace Nick Kyrgios, and it also occurred at the 1992 AO.

The setback was especially heartbreaking considering Arnaldi’s remarkable run in Paris. On his way to reaching a maiden Grand Slam SF, he spent nearly 19 hours and 42 minutes on court across his first five matches.

While Agassi’s comments quickly became a major talking point, attention has now shifted toward the championship match. With Cobolli unexpectedly through to the final, Zverev has also shared his thoughts on the situation as both players prepare for Sunday’s showdown.

Alexander Zverev reacts to Flavio Cobolli reaching French Open semifinal without playing

The unexpected news arrived shortly after Alexander Zverev continued his impressive run at the French Open. The German booked his place in the final with a SF victory over rising Czech Jakub Mensik, with Zverev also getting into a clash after a bizarre post-match moment. 

This fortnight in Paris, however, things seem to be falling into place for Zverev who remains the best player without a Grand Slam till now. And for his opponent, Cobolli will enter Sunday’s final fresher than expected after advancing without having to play the SF match.

Even so, Zverev does not believe the extra rest will significantly affect the outcome of the final tomorrow. The world No. 3 made it clear that he feels physically strong heading into the championship match.

“Not really, because I feel fine. I didn’t have brutally long matches. I honestly feel like I could play again now,” Zverev added in his post match press conference.

The German also expressed sympathy for Arnaldi, who was forced to withdraw because of illness. “I think it’s not the way that you want a semi-final of a grand slam to happen, but I also saw Matteo in the locker room and he looked awful. I understand it. There’s nothing much he can do. Things like that happen. We’re all human. I don’t think that it’s going to be a big difference on Sunday.”

Looking at their history, Zverev holds a 3-1 advantage over Cobolli in their H2H battle. Their most recent meeting at Roland Garros came in the third-round last year.

On that occasion, Zverev delivered a dominant performance to win 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-1. That result will certainly give him confidence heading into another meeting on the Paris clay.

Now, with the Roland Garros final ready to begin, the tennis world waits to see which player will lift a maiden Grand Slam trophy in Paris.